Pence ‘disappointed’ that Flynn misled him

Vice President Mike Pence said he was “disappointed” that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn misled him about the nature of conversations with Russia’s ambassador.

He also praised President Trump’s decision to ask Flynn to resign, calling it “proper” and “timely.”

“I was disappointed to learn that the facts that had been conveyed to me by General Flynn were inaccurate,” Pence said during a news conference in Brussels on Monday.

{mosads}“But we honor General Flynn’s long service to the United States of America, and I fully support the president’s decision to ask for his resignation. It was the proper decision. It was handled properly and in a timely way.”

Flynn resigned last week amid revelations that he discussed U.S. sanctions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in the month before Trump took office. The former national security adviser admitted that he briefed Pence and other White House officials with “incomplete information.”

Pence, who has a reputation for keeping his cool, is said to have been deeply angered that Flynn misled him about his communications with Kislyak.

While the revelations about Flynn’s discussions with Russia were news to the vice president, Trump had been aware of the situation for weeks. The Justice Department sent a message to the White House shortly after Trump took office in January, voicing concern about discrepancies between Flynn’s account of the conversations and what intelligence officials knew to be true.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said on Tuesday that the president ultimately decided to ask for Flynn’s resignation due to an “eroding level of trust.”

But Trump defended his former national security adviser during a news conference on Thursday, calling Flynn a “wonderful man” who was treated “very, very unfairly by the media.”